Play by the rules

By Joe McAdory

Below is a link to a story about a reporter with the Georgia Standard who was physically escorted from an area at Los Angeles International Airport before President Obama was to walk. The reporter claimed she wanted to give Obama a letter about her disdain for gay marriage. That’s all fine and dandy, but I don’t think this lady fully understands the proper channels such transactions must take place. You can’t just hand a president a piece of paper these days.

I would encourage her to fully understand the rules next time. A press card that claims you write for a specific organization doesn’t give you access to the world. I mean, I have a card that says I work for the Opelika-Auburn News, but it will do me no good at most events where specific credentials are issued to many who request them. I would also hope, after this commotion, the president would take the time to acknowledge her letter.

http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2009/05/writer-with-letter-for-obama-is-carried-away-at-lax.html

Scholarship in Perry Ballard’s honor

By Joe McAdory

Below is a link to a story about former Opelika-Auburn News sports editor Perry Ballard, who I worked for from 1995-1999. Perry was a fixture at the newspaper for 20-plus years and became the face of the sports department. Sadly, he passed away last year.

http://www.nwfdailynews.com/news/sports-17630-ballard-association.html

Is Sotomayor really racist?

By Joe McAdory

In the last 24 hours, both Newt Gingrich and Rush Limbaugh have called U.S. Supreme Court justice nominee Sonia Sotomayor as racist. Those are pretty stiff charges. I don’t know the lady so I’m not going to say she is racist or not. A comment she made during a 2001 speech in Berkely, Calif., however, could be taken as such.

“I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experience would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn’t lived that life,“ Sotomayor said in that speech, describing how life experience can inform judicial opinions.

Can a white male make comments about Latina women and it be judged as OK? Not at all, particularly not these days. Was Sotomayor saying that a person of one background does not have the same perception on matters as a person from another background? I don’t know. I don’t have ESP. And why wasn’t a big deal made out of her comment then?

Even the perception of racism is disturbing to me, one way or the other. I do not believe a judge, particularly on the highest court in the land, should make decisions based on skin color. We may be a nation of different people with different backgrounds, but are supposed to be a nation united where the only colors that matter are red, white and blue. If this woman has a racist bone in her body, she should not serve on this court or any other court.

It does strike me as interesting that Limbaugh has the gall to call somebody racist. Considering the comments he made a few years ago about Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb, who is black, I think Limbaugh should open his mouth on other matters.

Soggy center of racing

By Joe McAdory

Greetings from Atlantis, I mean Daytona Beach, where rainfall totals in the past week have approached 20 inches. I just rolled in last night, so some of the floodwaters have receded and I didn’t have to use a motorboat. Anyway, check out this picture from Daytona International Speedway. There are no powerboat races this weekend and speedway officials insist the actual racing surface is not submerged. This photo is taken on the backstretch near an interior wall, not the outside wall.

Respondents support secession

By Joe McAdory

Our poll at http://www.oanow.com asks if secession is worth considering for some U.S. states. Fifty-eight percent of respondents support secession.

That’s kind of surprising. Do people really want to secede from the Union? I know things aren’t going so great for our nation right now, but I can’t help but wonder if secession would create even more problems than we already have, like national (or state) defense, FEMA claims, to name a few. Before we secede, again, let’s give this God Bless America thing a better chance. I’m not sure I want to have to go through customs to watch Auburn play at Tennessee.