That takes some balls

So, our dear friend Rummy was here in the ATL yesterday talking about something to some group. Low and behold people here and there get up and start heckling him about Iraq and other such things.

Now, I wasn’t surprised that he was heckled, the guys a dick, but I was surprised that it took place here in Atlanta. I’m no expert on the socioeconomic makeup of this town, but I do know that Georgia voted almost 60% for Bush in 2004. I also know that I see a lot more “Bush/Cheny” and “I support our troops and our President” stickers than I do anti-administration stickers on the roads around here. Usually, and maybe I’m over generalizing here, in the South if you ruffle feathers or cause friction with the status quo your not looked upon highly or just outright lynched.

It takes some balls to stand up to the administration here in Georgia, and these people had plenty of them. Unfortunately, I can’t say all the heckling was called for. I mean, sure the Iraq stuff was pretty spot on but one guy got up and said “You have an ugly suit. How can I take anyone seriously that wears a suit that ugly.” See, that’s just uncalled for. It’s open season on a man’s political and governmental choices, but you don’t rip on another mans wardrobe, at least not in public. If we start doing that then we’re no better than the “wastes of humanity” that make a living off critiquing “celebrities” as they walk down the red carpet.

At any rate, Rummy got a good pounding and I got a good laugh. The people heckling him here in Atlanta mean one of two things. First, it means that the administration is doing such a bad job that even their political faithful are starting to turn on them. Second, it means that there are more blue people here in Atlanta than I was aware of to begin with. In all actuality, I’m sure it’s a mixture of the two, but I doubt anyone getting up voted for Bush in 2004. More likely, since the political climate has changed here in Georgia a bit, people who didn’t vote Bush in 2004 have the confidence that if they stand up, even in the middle of a Rummy speech, they won’t be destroyed or dropped on the spot by a sniper.

In other news, I got new sod the other day in my backyard. I’m not sure if I mentioned this or not. It looks really good, much better than the dirt and weeds look that we’d been trying out. I’ve been watering it every day for about twenty minutes or so and it appears as though it’s taking root nicely. I’ve been told it can take grass several weeks to really start to settle in once it’s planted. Let’s hope that it doesn’t all die this time like when the builder first laid the sod when we moved in last year.

Have a good Cinco de Mayo. Don’t drink and drive. Always use a condom. Don’t let the bedbugs bite.

-Steve