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Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Of condoms, the Catholic League, and the University of Georgia
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Nothing, apparently, is more volatile than a mixture of sex, universities and a state budget crisis.
You know that Georgia State University took a great deal of heat this month for possessing academics who claim bookish expertise about such forbidden topics as oral sex and male prostitution.
So when the Catholic League in New York objected today to an STD/birth control poster issued by the University of Georgia, the institution folded like a genuine Barlow. The reason? The poster featured Michelangelo’s image of the hand of God giving life to Adam — except that between the two fingers, one mortal and one not, was a condom.
“Carefully open condom wrappers with your fingers — don’t use a sharp object,” advised the poster, which was placed in dorms by the university health service as part of Sexual Health Awareness Week, which ended last Friday. As all of you know.
The Catholic League, in a complaint filed today with UGA vice president for student affairs, Rodney Bennett, said the university had “hijacked” an icon of Christianity.
“I hasten to add that the University of Georgia would never choose a depiction of Muhammad to hawk condoms. Indeed, only a few years ago an inoffensive depiction of this Islamic figure in a Danish cartoon led to murder and churches being burned to the ground. One can only imagine what would have happened had he been portrayed pushing condoms to youth,” wrote League president Bill Donahue.
CNN had already aired a morning spot about the GSU controversy and threats from state lawmakers. The piece included mention of a UGA course in “queer theory.”
The League filed its complaint about the condom poster at noon today. Bennett apologized by 2 p.m. Tom Jackson, UGA vice president for dealing with reporters on sensitive topics, emphasized his institution’s sincere regrets for the poster.
“[Bennett] understands that some in the Christian community might be offended by it, and he apologized to the Catholic League,” Jackson said. The UGA spokesman also pointed out that the posters had disappeared five days before the complaint was received.
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An effort to draft Borders back into the Atlanta mayoral race
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
An effort to draft Lisa Borders back into this year’s race for mayor of Atlanta has begun in earnest.
Borders, now president of the Atlanta City council, dropped out of the contest last summer to spend more time with her ailing parents. A host of candidates, including state Sen. Kasim Reed and city councilwoman Mary Norwood, have gotten a six-month jump on her in the meantime.
My AJC colleague Eric Stirgus, who haunts City Hall, has passed on an e-mail he received this afternoon from David Todd Jr., a business and civic leader who is a long-time friend of Borders:
“I am sure that by now you have heard rumors that Lisa Borders maybe stepping back into the race for mayor of Atlanta. I really think that she would be the very best for our city and I am urging her to her ‘dive back in’ now!!
“She has had thousands of requests from folks all over the city in many cases offering to help her fix what she needs to fix with getting her parents the proper care and then …..get back in to ‘fix this City.’ If you agree and are so inclined to do so: I would ask that you send her a note encouraging her consider this (somewhat of an informal petition).
“Her email is: lisa@bordersforatlanta.com.”
Borders has said in recent weeks, Stirgus said, that she hasn’t decided whether to reconsider. Which does indicate that she’s been thinking about it. We’re trying to get in touch with her now.
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The Tribune’s devastating summary paragraph on Roland Burris
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Chicago Tribune has called for U.S. Sen. Roland Burris to resign his Illinois senate seat. Here’s the stunning gist of the piece, which leads the newspaper’s home page:
Let’s see if we have it right: Burris had zero contact with any of Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s cronies about his interest in the Senate seat being vacated by President Barack Obama—unless you count that conversation with former chief of staff Lon Monk, and, on further reflection, the ones with insiders John Harris, Doug Scofield and John Wyma and, oh yeah, the governor’s brother and fundraising chief, Robert Blagojevich. But Burris didn’t raise a single dollar for the now ex-governor as a result of those contacts because that could be construed as a quid pro quo and besides, everyone he asked refused to donate.
“The story gets worse with every telling.”
Photo credit: WCT
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Georgia benefits of stimulus package greatest in Republican north metro Atlanta
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The White House this week passed out some stats this week indicating what parts of the country will benefit most from the $787 billion stimulus package signed by President Barack Obama.
My AJC colleague Bob Keefe passed on the Georgia-centric numbers.
Not surprisingly, according to the White House, the stimulus will be the greatest boon in north metro Atlanta congressional districts whose Republican representatives opposed it.
The package will create or save about 9,900 jobs in Georgia’s 7th congressional district, represented by John Linder of Duluth.
Another 9,200 jobs will be created or saved in Georgia’s 6th District, which is represented by Republican Tom Price of Roswell.
Price, as chairman of the Republican Study Committee, has been among the most ardent opponents of the package — damning the package last week by dangling a dead mouse (all right, a cat toy) from the House floor.
Linder hasn’t minced words, either. He says the high costs of the package would start America down the road to “a more pervasive welfare state, the burden of which will be carried by our children and grandchildren.”
In all, the White House estimates the package will create or save 107,000 jobs in Georgia. Republicans, of course, dispute those job numbers.
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Pat Robertson says Rush Limbaugh ‘not exactly thinking rationally’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Rev. Pat Robertson of Virginia, the former presidential candidate and founder of the once-great Christian Coalition, has had his slips of the tongue.
See: Hurricanes, praying them away.
Still, the religious broadcasting pioneer thinks that fellow on the radio went too far when he said he hoped to see President Barack Obama fail.
U.S. News and World Report has this snippet from an interview with Robertson:
Q: So you don’t subscribe to Rush Limbaugh’s “I hope he fails” school of thought?
A: That was a terrible thing to say. I mean, he’s the president of all the country. If he succeeds, the country succeeds. And if he doesn’t, it hurts us all. Anybody who would pull against our president is not exactly thinking rationally.
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Your morning jolt
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
From this morning’s AJC:
— Perdue agrees to back homeowner relief grants.
— Obama signs stimulus bill, readies homeowner plan.
— Illinois’ newest senator “welcomes” chance to explain contacts with Blagojevich.
And elsewhere:
— CBS: Bobby Jindal signals Louisiana may not take stimulus cash.
— WP: The world economy takes a steep downturn.
— NYT: Automakers seek $14 billion more in aid.
— NYT: Late night GOP coup in California could derail budget talks.
— WSJ: What went wrong with last week’s Continental Connection crash.
— WP: Sarah Palin’s rough homecoming.
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Octuplets give birth to legislation that would put controls on fertility clinics
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Remember Nadya Suleman and her octuplets? Everyone was quite excited until it was discovered that the single mother had six other children through in vitro fertilization, and was living on the dole.
You had to expect this would generate a backlash in state legislatures across the country, and Georgia is not one to disappoint.
State Sen. Ralph Hudgens (R-Hull) will be sponsoring legislation aimed at putting fertility clinics under governmental oversight, according to Georgia Right to Life.
In a press release, the organization provided a taste of the coming measure:
“In the interest of reducing the risk of complications for both the mother and the transferred embryos, including the risk of pre-term birth associated with higher-order multiple gestations, a person or entity performing in vitro fertilization shall limit the number of embryos created in a single cycle to the number to be transferred in that cycle, thereby preventing what has recently occurred in California with the woman who bore octuplets.”
