29 September 2009

andalusia

if you like flannery o'connor, you probably need to go see andalusia, where she lived and worked the last fifteen or so years of her life


putnam county, georgia

jody sez the owners are probably french--

28 September 2009

après le deluge






still a lot of discolored water going over the 150-year-old dam on big creek at roswell mill but it looks ok --- the ruins of ivy mill are covered with silt and nastiness from the flooded sewer treatment plant just across the creek --- the rubble on the ground outlining the old mill buildings has almost disappeared ---

paper mill was high enough it didn't really flood but run-off from off-park property up the hill has breached the stacked-stone retaining wall in four places ---

26 September 2009

civil service

i hope that you all understand that there are a great many evil people in the world today----

BIG CREEK, Ky. — A part-time census worker found hanging in a rural Kentucky cemetery was naked, gagged and had his hands and feet bound with duct tape, said an Ohio man who discovered the body two weeks ago.
was it meth or "patriotism" that killed him? whatever, this is what makes much of rural amurica a skeery place to go --- even if you're not a revenewer or something --- crazy cousin joe is all about how the national park service is nuttin but an agent of big gummint --- the rangers at cape hatteras and other places won't go certain places with their uniforms on because of the animosity --- that's part of what we have gotten for thirty years of "government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem"

23 September 2009

the flood

i had missed these images of the downtown connector and the interchange with freedom parkway --- the top one looking southeast, the lower one looking south and from higher up

20 September 2009

finally . . .

the sun actually came out around five o'clock --- sun and shadows, even blue sky, in the park for a change, although the turf was unbelievably saturated

18 September 2009

nightmare

our contact with "reality" may be more tenuous than we think ----

SEATTLE – It was seven weeks ago that Edward Lighthart walked out of a Seattle park with no idea of who he was and how he got there, the apparent victim of a bizarre case of amnesia.

npr did a piece on him, too, when it first happened

yum

the glory that is garlic, especially the part about the garlic potatoes

acorn

yeah, some of the stuff they've been busted for is dumb, but a lot of that is the result of the right wing's vendetta against them --- acorn has done a lot of good and now they're getting pilloried --- people can get awfully exercised over a few tens of billions getting into the hands of poor (black) people while untold gazillions are transferred to haliburton, blackwater, and rich (white) people in general and it's all goodness and light

If you walk into this scene out of the lily-white suburbs, you're likely to be shocked at first by what you see. Things are turned upside down. The role models are felons, the clean kids are working the black market. But, spend some time there and you'll quickly adapt and begin to see how there is dignity and fight and pride and ambition and resourcefulness and tremendous faith that sustains these communities in the face of enormous odds. Anyone who had ever seen what I have seen would never, ever, cut off all funding for ACORN or use them as a symbol of black dependency and corruption.

15 September 2009

anonymous complaints

southern voice has posted the (anonymous) complaints that led to the raid on the eagle---what a bunch of bullshit and typical of the tactics of the midtown-ponce security alliance---one of my straight co-workers lived near there until recently and agrees it is ridiculous

behold

wiring midtown

the city used to be covered up with wires---slowly but surely they're going away---the trolley lines came down forty years ago and now most of downtown and midtown has been rewired to eliminate the "telephone poles"---


that's a view north on peacthree from sixth street c. 1950

guinness very much likes being able to admire margaret's porch up close

"thank god for glenn beck"

you really have to watch this---just god-awful---this is a direct byproduct of rush limbaugh and fox "news" demagoguery



you gotta love the reporter---so very non-threatening while he methodically exposes their ignorance and/or bigotry

14 September 2009

r.i.p.

jim carrol (1950-2009)

the lurid details

read the whole thing and then try to argue it was a good use of police resources

Allegations of sex and illegal adult entertainment taking place at the Atlanta Eagle led to a three-month undercover operation that prompted the Atlanta police to raid the gay leather bar, Police Chief Richard Pennington said today in a press conference.

“Due to the lighting of the room I was unable to see any sex acts happening . . . observed two men in what appeared to be a sexual act . . . . I could not get a good visual due to the extreme low light in the room. I also observed a black male in his underwear dancing on the main bar of the establishment."

and there's something a little creepy about how much went into their "documentation" of the so-called criminal activity

old stuff

among the way-too-many things that i've scanned lately is this map, drawn by my g-grandfather in 1936 and said to be the first map of clayton county to show land lots, roads, creeks and rivers, and local landmarks on the same map---he was nearly 80 when he did it, but he kept on drawing and writing for another decade or more---the original is in the georgia archives

14th street

first time over the new bridge yesterday, all lovely and spacious, taking up twice the space and not really changing much but the aesthetics perhaps

13 September 2009

reactionary

andrew sullivan has a thought about the eagle raid and another one in memphis

Maybe these reports, after the near-death of another gay man attacked in a gay bar raid in Texas, are just random data points. Or maybe, the Age of Obama is leading some to express their rage at the changing face of this country. Gays, as so often, are among the first victims. Vigilance is necessary. For the first time in 16 years, the South does not have a native president in the White House. For the first time in 45 years, we have a Democrat not from the South in the White House. In trying to understand the passion and hysteria and anger out there, this may be worth taking into account.

from the council candidate

this is part of steve brodie's response to my letter

. . . The incident at the Eagle has raised an acute awareness of the issue of police leadership that I have been addressing for several years now and is a cornerstone of my campaign. The impact and concern we have seen in the community is a direct result of ineffective leadership at the very top of the police department. The leader sets a tone and is responsible for communicating with the citizens; there has been complete failure in this case and too many others.

This investigation and action at the Eagle clearly demonstrates that the leadership of APD does not understand the priorities of the community. Atlanta needs police leadership that actually knows the community and does not lead based on politics, personal relationships or perceptions. We need leadership that will take action to reduce personal crimes, home invasions etc rather than appeasing the influential and politically connected with the pursuit of victimless crimes. Atlanta is in a public safety crisis; we need to get our priorities in order! . . . .


12 September 2009

what a mess

a board member of the midtown neighbors' association raises a lot of questions:

As a business owner and a resident of Midtown. And like you and many like you, I have concerns regarding the misdirected allocation of police resources regarding the incident at The Eagle.

Since the investigation is complete, anyone requesting a GA open records request can obtain a copy of the reports, including the original email.

it is my understanding, from my friends at APD that three months ago an email of complaint was sent to the mayors office. It is highly unusual for the mayor to become involved in vague allegations of 'sexual activity' in a back curtained room of the establishment. DUH, it is a men's leather bar.

What astounds me is the mayor's office ordered an investigation that resulted in THREE MONTHS of undercover work at the facility. What also astounds me is the Red Dog Unit was deployed. Now, Red dog is strictly a drug unit. There was never a drug investigation. Red Dog answers to...the mayor's office.

I'm in Kwanza Halls district so I got no dog in the district hunt. But what stinks to me is, who is in favor with the mayor in Zone 5 that has motivation to get the gay community riled up over APD or Red Dogs alleged 'derogatory comments'?

It could be the incumbent council member AF. AF has a friend in Peggy Denby, notorious bulldog when it comes to giving gay night life grief. AF also endorsed Liz Coyle, as does Denby. If the gay vote splits from Brodie, she gains the upper hand if there is a runoff, or takes the majority.

Why would the gay voters (who are really pissed at APD and anyone associated with them) split from Brodie, you ask?

Because a few weeks ago Mr. Brodie got the endorsement of the Police Union, MUCH to the chagrin of the incumbent and her protege Liz.

It seems that someone decided they, after 3 months had enough 'evidence' and chose Thursday night to pull the trigger on the raid. Raid turned up pretty much nothing, my sources tell me no one was in that notorious back room at the time of the last visit by the undercover officers. There was no reason to stage the raid at 11:30.

Except, Mr. Brodie was making the rounds at the gay events that evening for campaign stops, and was rumored to have a scheduled stop at The Eagle around 11:00PM.

Why would the incumbent go out of her way to do this to Mr Brodie? Well, remember how contentious the election was, losing by 6 votes, the lawsuit, etc. I bet she does have some sour grape for Mr. Brodie.

.... this all stinks of politics. It does not make sense to my source at APD (she says they simply do not waste time with such unfounded allegations, especially after at least one visit by undercover!)

The 90 day investigation seemed a big waste of taxpayer money. If it took 90 days to find out someone gets a BJ or a spanking in a curtained room in a gay leather club, what does that say about the resource utilization or worse, the political tooling rampant within our city government?


vichy midtown

the sembler company, post parkside, the fifth group restaurants (ecco, south city kitchen, la tavola, and el taco), midtown tire, and the midtown neighbors associaton all need to hear from us for their sponsorship of the midtown ponce security alliance and their tactics of harassment and intimidation --- likewise keep atlanta beautiful, of which the inestimable peggy denby is ex. director

hear, hear

cousin john chimes in:

Chief of Police Richard J Pennington

226 Peachtree St. SW

Atlanta, Georgia 30303

September 12, 2009

Dear Chief Pennington,

Chief Pennington, this raid on the Eagle last Thursday night just reeks. It smells of the same pattern of harassment that the Gay and Lesbian community has seen for decades in this city. We had hoped, no--we had believed that the time for this type of systemic harassment had passed with the advent of enlightened administrations like the Franklin administration, but apparently this is not so.

I don’t patronize the Eagle, and haven’t been in any bar for a decade or more but I remember the way it used to work. Every so often, just coincidentally before a city-wide election, there would be a push to “clean up” the city of “undesirable” elements. I saw this in the 1960’s and 1970’s when the targets were bars such as Mrs. P’s and the Joy Lounge on Ponce. Then, as now, the point is harassment and humiliation of the patrons. The point is to portray the establishment as a “problem” establishment. Very convenient when the time for liquor license renewal comes up.

But wait, I thought we had a LGBT liaison in the APD to work with the community and the bar owners to try to fix the real problems and avoid the harassment. I guess I was just mistaken. Where was the liaison? Why were police officers, including apparently homophobic officers sent--in such great numbers--to deal with a dancing license violation. What kind of judgment is that?

This is the APD reacting to anonymous complaints from Midtown groups that just want to remake Midtown into a sanitized, glamorous, all-white, enclave. And I say that as a white man who knows these folks. They hated the Buckhead Village nightlife because it was too young and too ethnic, They now want the gay people who do not fit their image out of Midtown. They are also targeting black nightclubs in the Midtown area. What’s next--will it be Castleberry hill or West End?

I understand why these groups want to control the city and remake it into their lily-white, country club dream. I really do get it. I’ve seen this my whole life. You may remember what harassment was like. I just don’t understand why you would countenance such a thing. I don’t believe for a minute that the Mayor does. Again, where is the LGBT community liaison in the APD? You guys have failed big time.

Sincerely yours,

John W. Hoard

Cc: Mayor Shirley Franklin,

City Councilman H. Lamar Willis

City Councilwoman Joyce Shepard

City Council Chairwoman Lisa Borders

11 September 2009

"dancing without a permit"

that was actually one of the reasons given for the police raid on the eagle last night---i am pissed even though i never set foot in the place, mainly because i think it is part of an ongoing pattern of harassment by neighborhood vigilantes wanting to "clean up" midtown, which generally means getting rid of anything that is too black or too gay---i wrote the city council rep and got a reply in less than three hours, although she may be part of the problem----more here

From: tommyjones
To: Fauver, Anne
Sent: Fri Sep 11 16:12:00 2009
Subject: law enforcement

Dear Ms. Fauver:

As you are no doubt aware, the Atlanta Police Department conducted a raid of the Eagle, a gay bar on Ponce de Leon Avenue, yesterday. I am profoundly disturbed at the reports of the raid, especially the totally unacceptable treatment of patrons and staff alike by the APD. According to the source, the raid was either the result of a “noise complaint” or because there was dancing without a permit. Are you kidding me? Dancing without a permit? And if it was only a noise complaint, why then were the patrons and staff forced to the floor?

In my opinion, all of this is just a petty excuse to shut down a legal commercial establishment that a few self-appointed vigilantes in the neighborhood have decided to include in their ongoing campaign of harassment which they call “cleaning up Midtown.” They’ve tried, I hope unsuccessfully, the same thing with the SPI Club at 1021 Peachtree, a campaign that has had a disturbingly racist undertone. I don’t patronize the Eagle nor will I patronize the SPI Club, but as a Midtown resident who has lived in the city for over forty years, I think that this sort of harassment needs to be stopped.

The City and APD must show some discretion in responding to groups like the Midtown Ponce Security Alliance, whose overwrought rhetoric and puritanical approach to law enforcement does not represent the views of all or even a majority of Midtown residents.

Thank you.


her reply:

Tommy,

Major Williams is the superior over the APD unit that went to the Eagle. Major Williams is a good friend of our community.

She is investigating the incident and I know from experience that she is very thorough. Let's withhold judgment until we know more.

Thanks for your email.
Anne

She will keep you posted.
Anne

gardening

last night cousin carol and i went to the botanical garden, which is open until 10 on thurs. through september --- the conservatory was crazy with the frog noises in the dark --- then tonight it's the quarry garden and swan house at the history center --- fine way to spend an evening





07 September 2009

chug chug

our first dog, or at least the first one i remember, 1953 --- he looks a little like guinness only not so stumpy

06 September 2009

the garden

the botanical garden is winding down its summer show, but wonderful as always --- in keeping with the multicultural theme of the weekend, it seemed as if a majority of the visitors there did not speak english today --- in addition, south asians of some persuasian were having a wedding, complete with some sort of ceremonial tug-of-war on the lawn between the bride's and groom's families at the end ---

bright and shiny

peachtree center marta station, regency hyatt, decatur marta station


















the holiday weekend

it has definitely been a multicultural weekend in atlanner --- the baseball crowd for the braves and the college football crowds from virginia, alabama, and carolina for two games made marta a zoo yesterday --- there was the educated bookish crowd in decatur for the book festival, which touts itself as the largest independent show in the country --- there was the young urban black gay pride crowd, which brought a whole lot of people to the park this evening --- and there was the dragon con wierdo crowd, which we had to go back to gawk at some more this afternoon --- must have been fun although some of the young'uns were looking a little tuckered out

05 September 2009

dragon*con

the parade was one of the best spectacles for which one could wish