[geeks] I just saw...

[Brooke Gravitt]

On 11/8/06, Lionel Peterson <lionel4287 at verizon.net> wrote:
>
> In a Georgia County Commissioner race, one party literally said in their last-minute ads: "Think it was bad with attack dogs and fire hoses (referring to the civil rights fights/demonstrations in the mid-sixties), wait till <the other party> gets control of the County Commission!" Now, I think we could all agree this is a massive exageration, and one more piece of information completely wipes ANY chance of this being a reasonable advertisement - <the other party> ALREADY controlled the county commission!
>
> Ugh.

Lionel, you put it mildly-

Ah, yes. The Fulton County Commission race- what a larf. I seriously
threw up a little bit in my mouth when I heard this ad. It has Atlanta
Mayor Shirley Franklin (Shirley-girl! to those who live here), former
Mayor & UN Ambassador Andrew Young, and Congressman John Lewis in it.
All of whom were held (until recently) in pretty high regard on both
sides of the political lines around here.

The quote was (from our local Libertarian Neal Boortz' website)

(John Lewis)  "On November 7th we face the most dangerous situation we
ever have.  If you think fighting off dogs and water hoses in the
sixties was bad, imagine if we sit idly by and let the right-wing
Republicans take control of the Fulton County Commission."

(Shirley Franklin)  "The efforts of Martin and Coretta King, Hosea
Williams, Maynard Jackson and many others will be lost.  That's why we
must stand up and we must turn out the vote for the Democrats on
Election Day."

(Andy Young) "And especially for John Eaves for Fulton County
Commission Chairman.  Unless you want them to turn back the clock on
equal rights and human rights and economic opportunity for all of us,
vote for John Eaves as Fulton County Chairman"

(Lewis)  "Your very life may depend on it."

(John Eaves)  "This message paid for by the committee to elect John Eaves."

Wow. Living in Atlanta, which has a pretty diverse group of folks in
it (and despite being a "Southern" town) is a fairly progressive area.
I might have expected this sort of race-baiting down in Savannah or
Charleston (where the Old South seems to linger) or even Mississippi
or Missouri, but I was really embarrassed and saddened to hear this
ad. Good 'ole Hosea Williams would be spinning in his grave.

I guess that's the real universal constant- It doesn't matter where
you go, people are idiots. Unfortunately, my Libertarian vote went
nowhere. Too many people here threw their votes away on the elephants
& donkeys :)

--Brooke