Alligators and Fire Hydrants

You know those funny local laws that you read are still on the law books, but are so obscure that it would be a waste of time to take a concerted effort to have them removed? You know, like how you can't tie an alligator to a fire hydrant?

Well a Georgia Republican State Representative is claiming he is immune from DUI laws because of a centuries-old provision aimed at protecting lawmakers from political intimidation.

After Rep. David Graves was charged with drunken driving for a second time, he and his lawyer offered a surprising defense:

As a lawmaker, Graves cannot break the law — at least not while the Legislature is at work.

The Macon Republican is using an obscure provision in the state constitution to argue that he should not be prosecuted for a DUI he received in Cobb County in February, during the 2005 session of the General Assembly.

The centuries-old provision holds that a lawmaker cannot be arrested during sessions of the General Assembly, legislative committee meetings or while they're "in transit," except in cases of "treason, felony, or breach of the peace." Such provisions were generally written to protect lawmakers from political intimidation.

Part of me wants to say this is another one of those quirks that makes Georgia what it is, but it's happened in Virginia and Wisconsin as well.

"Sonny Days"

This past Friday, in lieu of the threat of Hurricane Rita on Texan and Louisianan oil reserves, Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue implored Georgia schools to call "snow days" for Monday and Tuesday of this week in order to conserve energy. All but three of Georgia's school districts followed suit. The problem? The announcement was made at a press conference at 4:00 on Friday afternoon, giving parents less than two days to adjust their schedules so that they could either take time off of work or find babysitters.

ATLANTA -- Hundreds of thousands of Georgia children got a break from classes Monday after Gov. Sonny Perdue asked schools to close for two days as a hedge against possible fuel shortages, leaving many parents struggling to arrange child care.

The shortages that Perdue feared never materialized, largely because Hurricane Rita proved less damaging to Gulf Coast refineries than initially expected.

Two mothers brought their grade-schoolers to the Capitol on Monday for a "teach-in" on the steps, just yards from Perdue's office.

"It's certainly caused a lot of problems for working parents today, and it causes problems for these kids who need to be learning and not just hanging out, watching the Cartoon Network at home," said mother Randy Faigin David of suburban Atlanta.

Perdue saw a sudden surge in popularity for putting a hold on state taxes on gas in response to post-Katrina gas gougers, but I wonder how this recent action will affect his re-election campaign.

A Thousand Words?

Try eleven.

The Facebook Phenomenon

The AJC has written an article about the recent "facebook" phenomenon that has gripped campuses across the country. And yes, I am a victim.

For college freshmen, the days of lonely dining-hall lunches or awkward, foot-shuffling introductions have gone the way of the dot-matrix printer. This year, many of these tech-savvy teens are coming to school pre-acquainted, thanks to www.facebook.com, a voyeuristic virtual network that posts pictures, profiles and e-mail addresses of millions of college students.

Created in February 2004 by then-Harvard sophomore Mark Zuckerberg as a way for students on the Boston campus to connect, facebook has since exploded onto more than 800 colleges and universities nationwide. The free service allows any student with a ".edu" e-mail address to post his or her identity online, offering them options on everything from political leanings to favorite movies and books.

Eddie Long, Profiteer

Here is some recent news about my "neighbor."

Bishop's charity generous to bishop

In 1995, Bishop Eddie Long established a nonprofit, tax-exempt charity to help the needy and spread the gospel.

But it was Long, leader of the largest church congregation in Georgia, who became the charity's biggest beneficiary.

The charity, Bishop Eddie Long Ministries Inc., provided him with at least $3.07 million in salary, benefits and the use of property between 1997 and 2000 — nearly as much as it gave to all other recipients combined during those years, tax records show.

My favorite part of the article is this little gem:

Long, 52, defended his compensation during an interview about his charity. He's transformed New Birth, based in Lithonia, from a 300-member church to a 25,000-member megachurch with a global presence, according to the church's Web site.

"We're not just a church, we're an international corporation," Long said. "We're not just a bumbling bunch of preachers who can't talk and all we're doing is baptizing babies. I deal with the White House. I deal with Tony Blair. I deal with presidents around this world. I pastor a multimillion-dollar congregation.

"You've got to put me on a different scale than the little black preacher sitting over there that's supposed to be just getting by because the people are suffering."

What an uppity prick.

Here are even more reasons as to why I don't like Eddie Long and New Birth.

Coping with Katrina, Amongst Other Things

I've been gone for a little over a week, which should explain the severe lack of updates on this blog. In that time, major events have occurred which ultimately will change the course of American history.

Firstly, Hurricane Katrina has done massive damage to Gulf ports in Louisiana and Mississippi, eliciting comparisons to Third World countries like Mozambique. Two friends of mine, Jon Webb and Lisa Rusen, are serving as teachers for Teach for America in LA and MS respectively, and my heart and concerns go out to them and their families. Hopefully all is well.

Already, the response to Katrina has been politicized, with New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin blaming Louisiana Governor Blanco and President Bush for the lack of relief and preparedness in the city; Gov. Blanco blaming Nagin; and the White House blaming any and everybody not associated with the federal government. From a progressive perspective, Kevin Drum has really good coverage of the disaster over at the Washington Monthly.

Secondly, Chief Justice William Rehnquist has passed away, reigniting debate over the President's potential Supreme Court nominees. Apparently, the President has re-nominated Roberts for Chief Justice. While a Roberts judgeship was predicted to have little consequence for decisions like Roe v. Wade, certainly a second Bush appointment is enough to change the tide of not only the debate on abortion, but other issues such as affirmative action, or pretty much any issue that constitutional interpretation is also linked with political ideology.

Despite what one thinks about the Bush Administration, I believe it will demarcate the future of American history, not unlike the Lincoln and Roosevelt/Truman Administrations.

Times are changing, and I certainly don't want to be anywhere but at the forefront.