Albany Beat

Andre to Michael: Stay
Political blogger Andre Walker (http://www.georgiaunfiltered.blogspot.com/) is among those who aren’t crazy about the idea of losing Sen. Michael Meyer Von Bremen from the state legislature. Meyer Von Bremen, a Demcorat, is considering a 2008 Superior Court run. Says Walker: “There’s a lot of good leadership in the senator from Albany, and to be quite frank with you, I think the quote by Dougherty County Commission Chair Jeff Sinyard says it best: ‘In all honesty, I wish he’d stay where he is.’”

My Partner Dusty

Editor's Note: This tribute to 20-year-old Iraq war casualty Dustin Lee of Quitman, Miss., and his canine partner, Lex, was authored by John Burnam, founder of the National Working Dog Memorial Project in Washington, D.C. and author of "Dog Tags of Courage" and "A Soldier’s Best Friends"

I’m a U.S. Marine and the primary element of a two-member team trained to hunt and locate explosives. My partner and I trained as a team for many months honing our expertise to save American lives in the War on Terrorism in Iraq .

The date is March 21, 2007 and I was on the job in Fallujah , Iraq when an enemy fired Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) exploded in our midst. I was blasted to the ground. I’m Stunned. My head is ringing and my body feels numb. My eyes can’t quite focus on anything.

My partner is lying next to me severely wounded and bleeding. I move to him and touch him but he’s not responding. I feel sharp pains in my side and back. I’m bleeding but deal with it and concentrate on comforting my partner and protecting him from further harm.

Everything happened so fast that it caused disorientation and confusion. My senses pick up the lingering smell of burnt powder and smoke from the explosion. I hear lots of American voices and heavy boot-steps hurrying all around us. They reach our location and immediately attend to my partner. And then they carry him away. I’m separated from my partner for the first time. I’m not clear of thought and then I too am carried way but to a different hospital.

I’m in a building lying on a table with lights above and people talking. Still dazed and confused I hear a strange voice say my name, “Lex!” I gesture a slight reflex of acknowledgement. “Lex! You are going to be okay buddy! Just lay still. We are going to take care of your hurts, so stay calm okay, Lex?” My eyes dart around the room searching for my partner, but he’s not there and no one can interpret my thoughts.

I’m released from the hospital and well enough to travel so they transfer me from Iraq to a U.S. Marine Corp base in Albany , Georgia . I really miss my partner, Dusty. I know something has happened to him because he would never have left me alone for so long.

Yes, my name is Lex. I’m a seven year old German shepherd Military Working Dog, service number E132. My master and loyal partner is Corporal Dustin Jerome Lee, U.S. Marine Corps canine handler from Mississippi . I’m well disciplined to my master’s commands and expertly trained to sniff out bombs and explosives. Where’s my master, Dusty? Where’s Dusty, my partner? No one can understand me but Dusty. Where’s Dusty?

Iraq was to be my last combat tour before retirement. Dusty talked to me all the time about going home and adopting me. I sure do miss my Dusty. He is the best friend I’ve ever had. I love that crazy Marine from Mississippi !

No one can measure the love and unconditional loyalty I have for Dusty. I’d sacrifice my own life for him and he knows it. I just wish I could have stopped that RPG or pushed Dusty away from that powerful blast. It all happened in a blink of an eye and I didn’t see it coming until it was too late. Now I sit alone in my kennel-run waiting for the day Dusty shows up.

The U.S. Marines are treating me very well. I get enough food and water and exercise each day. And the Veterinarian comes by to examine my wounds on a regular basis. I just can’t sleep well at night. I wake up to every little noise and I think about Dusty. Where can that Marine be?

The nights are long. The days turn into weeks. Still no Dusty! My wounds are healing and my hair is growing back. The pain still resides in my back but I can walk okay. I have a piece of shrapnel near my spine that the Veterinarians avoided removing for fear of further health complications. I’ve been fortunate to be declared physically unable to perform in a combat zone.

One of the dog handlers gave me a real good bath and grooming. I felt so refreshed because I was on my way to meet Dusty’s family. Maybe Dusty will be there waiting for me. When I arrived I sensed something was not quite right. Dusty wasn’t there and everyone was sad, but very happy to greet me. I then realized that I was attending Dusty’s funeral. Everyone showed up to pay their respects.


Dusty is a real American hero and he was buried with full military honors. I was so proud to have been his last best friend and partner. At one particular moment of total silence during the ceremony, I sniffed a slight scent in the air that was very familiar. It smelled like Dusty. I figured he sent me a signal that he knew I was there! I moaned a sigh of grief that he would only hear and understand.

I was greeted by the Lee family with joy in their hearts. The picture is of Dustin’s mom, Rachel, and me in church. It felt so warm and comfortable to be with my partner’s loving family. I wanted to stay but I was escorted away after the funeral and back to Albany , Georgia . What is going to happen to me now?

Wait a minute! I was due for retirement, right? Why did the military take me to see Dusty’s family and not leave me there? I belong with them in Mississippi not here in Georgia . There is something very wrong with this picture!

The Lee family adopting me would not be too much to ask considering they will never again see their son, grandson, brother, nephew and friend. Adopting me will keep a big part of Dusty’s life alive for them and for me too! I will enable Dusty’s family to experience what he already knew about me. I loved and protected him everywhere we went and even on the battlefield in Iraq . It’s time the U.S. Marine Corps allowed Dustin’s family to adopt me. I’m not a young pup anymore, you know! I’m of retirement age and I want to spend the rest of my life with the Lee family. It’s where I now belong!
So please help the Lee family adopt me by signing a petition at:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/retire-military-working-dog-lex

Always Faithful,

Lex (,
German Shepherd Dog
Military Working Dog
U.S. Marine Corps

Willie or Bo? It's Show Time

In their own words, the two candidates vying for Albany’s top political post describe their successes in elective office and their goals for the city

The Albany Journal asked the two mayoral candidates to describe their candidacy and platform. Incumbent Willie Adams did not respond, but has a “Report Card” on his Website. Challenger Bo Dorough, the Ward 4 incumbent, pointed us toward his campaign flyer.

Here is, verbatim, what the candidates say about themselves.

WILLIE ADAMS

Economy
The budget process has been subject to numerous years of loopholes from lawmakers. The budget lacked realistic spending caps to restrain spending. It lacked impacting priorities, and purposeful budgetary programming for reserves. During Adams’ tenure, he has effectively overseen the implementation of fiscal policy that has increased capital reserves levels from zero to eleven million dollars and emergency reserve levels to twenty-four million dollars.

Fiscal prudence was only one component of Adams’ economic impact on the City of Albany. During his tenure, the Southwest Georgia Regional Airport successfully completed a two million dollar expansion that will extend its position as the number 2 airport in cargo transportation for the state of Georgia. Additionally, the expansion will allow for carriers such as UPS and FedEx to easily utilize the airport.

Administrative efficiencies
During his four year tenure, Adams oversaw administrative reforms that began with the hiring of a new city manager, augmenting the positions of two assistant city managers and restructuring into 13 efficient departments. These administrative reforms improved economic efficiency by dramatically lowering duplication of services and responsibilities within the departments and significantly improved compliance and organizational productivity.

In an increasing competitive and distressing economy, these reforms have positively impacted the management of SPLOST funds demonstrated by the increasing efficient usage of funds for community projects that improved the quality of the citizens of Albany.

These changes have established the foundation for policy impact that will improve the quality of life for every citizen for Albany.

Education
Although the time is short and the hurdles may appear daunting, Adams empathically believes that there is no compelling reason why the citizens of Albany cannot rise to the challenge of raising academic performance and establish transformative education policies. Our schools are composed of dedicated and passionate educators that need the support of administration and parents to prepare our future generation of leaders. During his term as mayor, Adams convened a meeting of stakeholders to discuss and flesh out the current problems and potential solutions. This collaborative method is a critical premier to strengthening the educational system.

BO DOROUGH


Identity
Albany is gradually losing its identity as “the hub of Southwest Georgia”. There are those who accept the continued decline of our city as inevitable. The failure to attract new industry and the loss in population are cited in support of this conclusion. Others accept the demise of downtown Albany as a natural consequence of commercial relocation. The questionable conduct of certain political leaders causes honest, hard-working citizens to be cynical or even hopeless about the city’s future.

Challenges
The challenges which we face are formidable but certainly not insurmountable. Our city can and will move forward with strong leadership and a shared vision for the future. We must work to revitalize downtown Albany, improve our public education system, alleviate racial strife and increase economic opportunities for all residents of the city. We must collectively commit and dedicate ourselves to these goals.

Change
We must acknowledge and address our city’s problems if Albany is to maintain the distinction of being the region’s economic and cultural center. This will not occur without substantial changes in our municipal government and community. The citizens of Albany can begin to realize these objectives by electing Bo Dorough, who has a vision of a better tomorrow. It is time to look forward, and not back.

Best Practices
Bo has served on the city commission for eight years. In that time he has observed those services that are efficient, and has definite ideas that will improve the operation of city departments and make the city more “business friendly.” Bo supports performance evaluations, whereby employees who perform above expectations are rewarded, and those that do not meet expectations are counseled and afforded an opportunity to improve their performance if they are to retain their positions with the city.

Ethics
Public office should not be abused as an opportunity to benefit the elected official, the official’s family or friends. Bo has always opposed conflicts of interest, and voted against accepting personal computers, which were donated to the city commission by Mediacom, as Mediacom has a franchise agreement with the city.

PLOST
The special purpose local option sales tax provides funds to improve and extend infrastructure, resurface streets, and pave alleys. Bo will assure that SPLOST dollars are expended prudently, and will support allocation of SPLOST funds to replace older infrastructure and expand existing infrastructure to facilitate economic development.

Taxes
Bo will oppose any property tax increase, and will fight to roll back the millage rate once the re-evaluation process is completed. Citizens will thereby be protected from any increase in property taxes paid to the city.

Fiscal Responsibility
Bo has been an advocate of sound financial policies. He wrote the ordinance that directs the city finance office to deduct the amount any member of the commission exceeds the sum allocated for expense from his or her earnings. Any commissioner who exceeds the travel budget now has that sum deducted for his or her salary. The city retired the majority of its bonded indebtedness and substantially increased its reserves during Bo’s eight years in office.

Opportunity
The city, having lost two major industries in the last four years, must pursue industry to increase opportunities for citizens seeking better paying jobs. We should support vocational education as prospective employers will insist on a qualified, educated work force.

Recreation
Bo has advocated renovating existing parks and facilities rather than undertaking prohibitively expensive projects approved by previous commissions. He is an avid supporter of youth recreation, and has coached and sponsored teams in a league which serves many underprivileged children.

Airport
More than $19 million has been spent at the Southwest Georgia Regional Airport in the last twelve years. Bo has opposed the suggestion that a new airport, equidistant between Albany and Valdosta, be constructed. The Southwest Georgia Regional Airport must remain at its present location – in Albany.

Law enforcement
Reducing crime will be Bo’s top priority. The Albany Police Department is now full staffed, and salaries are finally comparable to those paid to police in similarly-sized communities. We must support and expand neighborhood watch programs. Citizens, by working together, can make a difference.

Beautification
Bo has worked to enhance the appearance of our city. He supported an ordinance that makes it easier for the city to remove junk vehicles from residential areas, and another that increased penalties and fines for violation of city codes dealing with illegal dumping. If elected, Bo will assure the city does a better job of enforcing these ordinances.

Alleys
Bo understands alley paving is a priority for many citizens, and fought to assure substantial SPLOST funds were allocated to such projects. He opposed the mayor and majority of the commission, who voted to reduce the sums designated for alley paving from $5 million to $3 million. If elected, Bo will commit to an allocation of no less than $6 million for alley paving in the next SPLOST referendum, which will be presented to the voters in 2010. This should be sufficient to pave an additional forty alleys within the city.

New direction
Bo has a record of service and a clear platform. He is anxious to lead our city in a new direction.

Dorough’s pledge:
Work to rebuild and revitalize Albany
Make city government more accessible and accountable to the public
Work to attract new industry
Be a conscientious steward of city properties and funds
Oppose conflicts of interest in public affairs
Work to improve the quality of life for all citizens

Hypocrite of the Week: Joey Fieldinstream

If there's anything that aligns our radio show's namesake and I, it's our disdain for hypocrisy in government. I think Batman's really going to like this one:

In south Mississippi, an incumbent state senator, Joey Fillingane (pictured), recently mailed a campaign flyer to his constituents professing his love of guns. On the flyer is a photo of Fillingame in full camo gear standing alongside a similarly clad boy. Why, the NRA endorsed Fillingane over his opponent, the flyer says. There's nothing wrong with that, especially in Mississippi. Right? Well, sure there is. The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks has no record of Fillingane ever having a hunting license. Gun lover, indeed; henceforth, let's call him Fieldinstream. (His opponent, Gerald Buffington, does have a hunting license, by the way, and has renewed it every year since at least 2005.)

Adding to Fieldinstream's hypocritical presentation is a pro-family screed that would make you believe he has sired the largest clan in Lamar County, Miss., while -- in reality -- his family credentials are as funny as his hunting qualifications. Fieldinstream is wifeless, childless, and according to his campaign finance reports -- he only moved out of his mommy and daddy’s house last year, at the tender age of 34, months before running for the Senate position.

Fieldinstream also lives two lives when it comes to his professional work. He makes enormous political points deriding personal injury trial lawyers, even going so far as decrying from the House podium in 2002 that "trial lawyers killed Jesus Christ." You probably can see the next one coming -- the doozy that sealed Fieldstream's Hypocrite-of-the-Week selection. That's right: Fieldinstream IS a trial lawyer -- complete with a full-page phone book ad soliciting auto accidents, slip-and-fall cases and wrongfuldeath claims, and defending DUI offenders. In previous elections, he received huge political contributions from trial lawyers statewide, a contribution from the state trial lawyers' political action committee, and even a contribution from the trial lawyers' president.

Congrats on your (apparent) newfound appreciation for the outdoors, Joey boy. But don't you just hate those icky, gooey little worms?

Mailbag produces insight

It took learning it first-hand, but it seems to me that reports of radio’s death were premature.

Thank goodness.

Really, I was under the impression that I-pods were be taking over the world. (As for me, I use my 12-year-old’s I-pod. I would never buy one, because I’m too cheap. Anybody who knows me knows that.) But didn’t I hear on CNN and Fox News and WALB and even on the elementary school TV station that I-pods and mp3s and satellite radio and even Rush Limbaugh being on television meant that radio was dead and buried?

My, how I hope those same pundits are calling for Willie Adams’ re-election this fall.

Listeners to “our little radio show” -– as host Matt “Batman” Patrick calls it -- are popping up from every direction. Just today, much to my delight and certainly to my surprise, I learned that our family physician listens to the show. Now, that’s validating. I mean, how valuable is the doc’s time? And he spends some of every single weekday listening to Matt and I? Holy smoke.In addition to the number of and quality of our listeners, another surprise to me – the radio newbie – is that it’s OK that we’re not getting tons of calls on Wake Up Albany. After all, Albany is Squawksville, where citizen input is nearly always anonymous (which delights Albany city officials, by the way).

Still, we are getting amazing feedback –- and some of it even is on the record by real, live people who aren’t afraid to associate their first and last names with their perspectives. Imagine that. Some of the feedback challenges us – well, me – because I’m the one on the show who stirs stuff up. I’ve got to tell you, though: I CRAVE feedback like that of Evan Chelini, who takes issue with some of my stance against ultimate fighting.

I respect countering perspectives, and – more often than not – I become more enlightened when I hear it. Thanks, Evan, for listening, for being respectful, for inviting dialogue, and for not insisting that we settle things in the ring.

I’ll be talking to you in the morning – and seeing you on Sept. 5, which you join us in the studio for a discussion.

Meanwhile, here’s some of what’s in my Wake Up Albany e-mailbag.

“I listen to your show every morning on my way to work at a downtown senior center. Would love to hear someone talk about the problems that our local (seniors) are experiencing at this time. Funds for transportation (both meals on wheels, and congregate) were cut severely for the ’08 fiscal year. Our local politicians seem to just bury their heads in the sand about this problem. Our district alone has lost between $200,000 and $300,000 in funding and we are in desperate need for some help. I’m hoping that maybe if you could address this problem on your show, people would be more aware of what is going on." -- Angelika Smith (astrauch@yahoo.com)

“First of all, I can only guess what convinced you to refer as any combat between two people as 'cockfighting'. Those kinds of statements tend to display a certain level of either blatant ignorance or an ill-researched topic, for someone in the employment of a news delivery agency, I can only hope it is the latter. However, do not take this message as a personal attack from any angle. This is just something to make you aware of the number of differences between what you see in bars and what the influx in Albany that is actually happening. For years, the International Sport Combat Federation has been hosting events in the Georgia/Florida area. They have maintained a steadfast policy on rules and regulations that always keep in mind the safety of the fighters given the circumstances of the sport itself. The rules (www.icfmma.com) and the disqualifications policy should in their own right distinguish between the events that have been ‘stewing in your heart and mind.’ In closing, I do agree with you that the average Albany (nightspot) lacks the capability to hold anything close to a sanctioned mixed martial arts event. However, a little understanding should be given to the sport that I, myself, and many others have come to know and love. I welcome a reply and discussion." – Evan Chelini (greenday919@hotmail.com)

"I am so glad that someone has finally taken this station in hand to do something with it. There has been so much potential and so little done. I really like your program in the mornings, but I have one HUGE beef. The signal is so weak that I can even pick it up until I almost get to the Cooper Tires factory. I love talk radio and I never listen to music. If you had a stronger signal, I’d listen to you at home (I live in worth County and can’t pick you up there.) I’d also buy advertising for my little business. (I scan slides and photos and put them on DVDs, create/public books for people, and make PowerPoint presentations for businesses. But your signal is WAY too weal. We REALLY need a strong talk radio station for ALL of Dougherty County and the surrounding counties. Hope you all can get that signal stronger! Oh, and are you going to fix your Website so that we can listen to you online. That would be helpful as well. Thanks for what you do." – Jeanine Gibbs (nnc630@bellsouth.net)

Did I marry jail bait?

Oh, yeah. One more thing. This "half plus seven" rule that Matt told us about on the show is really bothering. Sometimes when I do the math, I say breathe a sigh of relief. Other times, I wonder if I ought to turn myself in to the cops. "Half plus seven"? you ask. I did, too. It's Man's Rule No. 441: Do not date a woman (or girl) who is younger than half your age plus seven years old. In other words, if you're 18, you can get away with dating a 16-year-old (Half of 18 is 9, plus 7,equals 16). And if you're 34, you can't date anyone younger than 24 (Half of 34 is 17, plus 7, equals 24). Gotcha worried? There's a calculator on the Web at http://www.lura.net/03/romance/

Cannon, Whatley and a lost class ring

Boy, did downtown merchant/lawyer Phil Cannon steal the show Wednesday.

Phil walked into the studio, put on the headset, and spent the next 90 minutes Tuesday chatting away nonstop -- offering insight, information, and -- yep -- humor. I just sent him an e-mail to make it perfectly clear that he's welcome to come and co-host the show.

Among the week's other highlight was our chat with Superintendent of Schools Sally Whatley. She's not in her comfort zone in a radio studio, not knowing for sure what's going to be thrown her way, but she toughed it out. And she told the school system's story -- which is why we invited her.

Meanwhile, I'm still trying to solve the Albany High Class of 1972 mystery. I received an e-mail from someone trying to return to its owner a girl's class ring with the initials YML. We talked about it on the show, and got a call right away from a 1972 grad who is going to hook us up with an old Indians' yearbook. Stay tuned.

Archived interviews and the upcoming schedule are on the Web at http://www.1590walg.com/.