[geeks] I just saw...

[Lionel Peterson]

>From: Brooke Gravitt <gravitt at gmail.com>
>Date: 2006/11/08 Wed PM 03:55:00 CST
>To: The Geeks List <geeks at sunhelp.org>
>Subject: Re: [geeks] I just saw...

>On 11/8/06, Lionel Peterson <lionel4287 at verizon.net> wrote:
>>
>> In a Georgia County Commissioner race, 

<snip>

>Lionel, you put it mildly-

Yes, on purpose...

>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."

Back in 2000, there was another fasciniating ad, that basicly said that if the Republicans win, black churches will burn.

>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.

The amazing thing (to me, and I'm as far away from the taget audience as you can be and still have been born on this planet ;^) is how insulting this ad is to the folks it is tageted at.

Civil rights for blacks hang in the balance, and the FULTON COUNTY COMMISSIONERS control it? WTF? How stupid do they think the audience is - pretty damn stupid, it seems to me.

This kind of ad should be played at every public appearnace those folks attend from now on, make them stand up and take credit for their arrogance and condecension. I;d love to hear them be called on their claims from the ad ON CAMERA...

>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 :)

The process is broken, and attempts to fix it exacerbate the problem...

Lionel