Fresh Loaf

David Schaengold of the Witherspoon Institute published a thought-provoking essay this month titled “Why Conservatives Should Care About Transit.”

Schaengold says ‘mass transit vs. more roads’ became a ‘Democrats vs Republicans’ battle during the 1970s:

This association can be traced to the ’70s, when cities became associated with social dysfunction and suburbs remained bastions of ‘normalcy.’

Schaengold argues that the Republican Party’s love of asphalt undermines core conservative values:

Pro-highway, anti-transit, anti-pedestrian policies work against the core beliefs of American conservatives in another and even more important way: they create social environments that are hostile to real community . . . [d]ense, walkable settlements are not just a pleasant lifestyle choice. They are a precondition of the strong, inter-connected communities that social conservatives desire.

Are you listening, Jerry Keen?

(I would tip my hat to Andrew Sullivan for the link, but someone on MARTA stole it. I’m pressing charges.)

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1. MARTA mugging victim fights back … now on YouTube (Move over, Soulja Girl.)

2. ‘Battlestar Galactica’ fulfills its ‘Oath’ with latest episode (In times of economic distress such as these, it’s best to bury oneself in sci-fi fantasy.)

3. Tussle with Amtrak and GDOT could kill Beltline vision (How many more blows below the belt can the Beltline take?)

4. How Adult Swim’s Tim & Eric got so awesome (Embracing discomfort, irony and randomness)

5. Atlanta sex club stirs up trouble in D.C. (Pig sex, anyone?)

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A judge decided to drop charges and stop the criminal case against Nifiza “Soulja Girl” Ziyad. DeKalb County State Court Judge Barbara Mobley assigned the case to a “dead docket.”

The AP reports Dekalb Solicitor General Robert James might seek an appeal.

Demonstrating that her artistic abilities go beyond busting (berating and abusive) freestyles on elderly, gray-haired ladies on MARTA, Ziyad read a poem about her struggles with bipolar disorder at the hearing.

As of now, she remains unsigned to any record deals.

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Got plenty of links to go with that freshly roasted Honduran coffee … mine that is…

Nafiza “Soulja Girl” Ziyad is asking a judge to drop her charges related to her now infamous freestyle battle with an elderly, gray-haired lady riding MARTA. The defense motion cited in the AJC says the video, which went viral and has been watched over 600,000 times, “exposed her to extreme distress and embarrassment.”

Wait till she sees the REEEMIX:

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• Jury deliberations begin in the Brian Nichols case.
• Not all are opposed to Gwinnett County’s mandatory recycling program.
• Braves GM Frank Wren busy talking deals on day one of Baseball’s winter meetings.
• More Clayton county students could find themselves in single-sex classrooms next year.
• Illinois Guv arrested on corruption charges.
• Five suspected 9/11 planners recant their offer to confess.
• President-elect Obama’s plan to bring broadband to the masses is hailed all over, and his web 2.0 press machine is all over it (the praise, that is).
• If media were complicit in hyping the housing bubble that drove the economy in the last five years; are they being complicit in making things seem gloomier than they really are now?
• More Media Briefs: Jay Leno to stay at NBC … Arianna Huffington is IWM’s person of the year … Time’s top 10 magazine covers of the year.
• Just because: Remember in Back to the Future when Marty McFly goes into Doc Brown’s house and the automated robotic arm drops another can of dog food onto Einstein’s bowl, which was already overflowing? … Feed your dog with an iPhone.

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In regards to the infamous YouTube video, MARTA has finally released a statement on the arrest of a female who allegedly verbally assaulted a fellow rail passenger.

Statement from MARTA Chief of Police Wanda Dunham:

MARTA police have arrested the individual who was allegedly involved in a verbal assault on a rail customer. A video of the incident, which MARTA police have determined occurred on March 10, 2008, was recently posted on the Internet. Nafiza Ziyad, 25, is being held in DeKalb County jail and has been charged with Simple Assault, two counts of Certain Acts in Transit and Disorderly Conduct. The arrest late Thursday, May 8, 2008 came after MARTA officials were able to interview the actual victim of the train harassment.

When this incident was brought to our attention, we immediately began tracking down any and all leads to ensure that this person was brought to justice. This arrest was the result of hard work and relentless follow-up by the Criminal Investigations Division of the MARTA police as well as invaluable tips and assistance from the public. MARTA is working closely with DeKalb County Solicitor-General Robert James to prosecute this individual to the fullest extent of the law.

I want to reiterate that this is an extremely isolated incident and that customer safety and security are our highest priorities. We regret that the many citizens who witnessed this incident did not utilize the emergency call button that is available in all rail cars to directly contact the rail operator or contact MARTA police so that we could have responded to this situation immediately. MARTA police officers regularly patrol the trains and are available at rail stations to provide assistance. Customers can also reach MARTA Police communications directly by dialing (404) 848-4911 or by pressing #MPD on any AT&T, Verizon, or Sprint/Nextel cellular phone. Blackberry users press #673.

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Atlanta entertainment blogger Sandra Rose says Soulja Girl (a.k.a. the young woman depicted in a recent web video yelling and rapping abusively at an elderly woman on a MARTA train), was arrested and released on bail Friday. Rose does not reveal the alleged Soulja Girl’s full name, but does post what appears to be a mug shot.

In a previous post, Rose says a woman claiming to be Soulja Girl’s sister told V-103’s Ryan Cameron Show Friday that her sister suffers from bipolar disorder.

From SandraRose.com:

Soulja Girl’s sister and baby daddy called into the Ryan Cameron Show on V-103 today. Soulja Girl’s sister told Ryan that her sister was diagnosed with bipolar disorder 5 years ago and the incident on the train was the result of her sister not taking her meds.

She said Soulja Girl was turned into police by their mother yesterday and she is being held on $300 bail.

On a more meta-note, people love them some public-transit drama. According to the ViralVideoChart, this thing “spread like wildfire.”

(Thanks to Grayson for passing along the Sandra Rose link.)

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