It would seem while I was in NOLA, a little change occurred in politics and punditry in the peach state. (And I thought things were rowdy in the French Quarter. Yikes!)
Long time Editor in Chief, Charlie Harper and many of the contributors jumped ship and moved to their own, new blog (gapol.com) with Harper serving as the publisher. Yours truly got her start blogging there, met her current boyfriend among the writers there, and continue to hold many of the writers in high personal professional esteem. Published by Clayton Wagar and created by Erick Erickson, Peach Pundit is now taking a new turn without the old crew.
It is my understanding that Peach Pundit, like Z Politics, has been acquired by Stoneridge.
If this rumor is true: Bravo to Wagar and Erickson for monetizing opinions and comments on a website! Bravo too to the writers who left wishing to separate themselves from the monetization of their words! Bravo to Jay Williams and gang for acquiring another hold on political punditry in Georgia!
Win-win for everyone, and a great start to session 2016!
Almost every girl in any first world country grew up on tales of Disney. A fair maiden princess who can’t help becoming a damsel in distress, held hostage by an evil witch or stepparent, and had to be rescued by Prince Charming.
A friend and I were discussing this on a Sunday afternoon drive. How Disney gave us young girls a dream to believe in. To be pure of heart and body and our prince will whisk us away to a happily ever after. And it was then my friend made an astute observation:
Why is the prince CHARMING? Charming isn’t necessarily a good quality to have.
I was stunned at how quickly the cord resonated when she said this. When I think of the word charming I think of George Clooney and Sir Michael Caine. Men I can’t help but fall for at the slightest smile. They are charming and practically perfect in my fairytale mindset.
Then I started thinking about all the charming men I’d met in my life. They were far from perfect. In fact, the most charming of men were con-artists.
Jordan Belfort, The Wolf of Wall Street
My Prince Charming was a young man with whom I attended school in London. We can call him Jake. Jake was 6’1″, luscious locks of curly brown hair, emerald green eyes, boyish dimples, and lashes for days. Anything he wanted from me he could get. I gave him answers to homework, cigarettes, shots at the bars, my gloves! I couldn’t say no because I knew at some point he would profess his love, passionately kiss me, and carry me away, where I would lose my virginity and live in a foreign land.
Back to Disney: Beauty and the Beast was ground breaking because Belle was smart and independent. She read books and refused to conform to gender and societal norms. Instead she did what she had to do to support her family throughdetermination and autodidact-ness – based on her father’s failing business schemes I doubt Papa donated a wing to an Ivy League school resulting in Belle’s admittance and full scholarship.
I also loved how Gaston was the villian and oh-so-good-looking and charming. It teaches us that just because you are good looking and charismatic, it doesn’t make up for putting people down because of their gender, race, age, etc.
Before you start citing other Disney movies that have lead heroins, I am not bashing Disney or childhood fairy tales or men. In fact, I commend Disney, overall. While I have never seen Frozen, I hear it’s quite liberating and doesn’t feed into a good v evil as the only options for life. And I enjoy being swept up by a charming man over a drink or business as well. I just don’t use that as my reason to fall for them.
On my last night in London, I remember getting mad (and drunk) and telling Jake it wasn’t fair. He knew I couldn’t resist him and that he was using me. He wrapped me in his sheep skin jacket and brought me in so close. I thought, “This is it!” And then I watched him go home with one of the girls from my circle. I was crushed.
Rasputin from Disney’s Annastasia, based on the real life story
In that moment I saw through what I call The Rasputin Effect – where one is so charming and convincing their words spill from their mouth and into your soul like oil moisturizing your skin. You aren’t aware that the tingling sensation is actually alcohol poured onto an open wound until you’re writhing in pain (no Emo, I swear).
My point is not that you should or should not be looking for someone who is charming, but someone that knows how to use their powers for good more often evil – whatever that power or quality may be. There is a Prince Charming and a Con-Man in all of us, and chances are you’ll see both in your partner and yourself.
Legislative session will begin next week. It is my second favorite time of year. Clearly it’s no one’s first; but a strong second in a heated primary, if you will. Football season is my favorite time of year. Some may love Christmas, others Halloween, but my favorite time in Georgia is the fall in which every self-respecting Southerner picks a team and joins their friends and family in heated rivalry for a few months. It’s a second religion here, and I’m certain the rules are written somewhere in Leviticus, right next to church starting at 11am sharp.
The two seasons are not so unlike one another. My love of college football is because of the intense drama on the field in a strategically played game that has an extremely diverse mix of talent…Unless you’re Alabama, of course. Then you just mark your calendar with bowl rings and trophies. The legislative session is similar in that there is strategy of sorts, lots of drama and high spirits, and the talent is as diverse as the power. Freshmen legislators may rise up on the rungs quickly in popular opinion even if their bills go nowhere and the mighty three are typically protected and lead from behind as much as any star quarterback. There is also occasional Tebowing on the sidelines for dramatic effect and ingratiating oneself to the social conservative base.
However, the rumors of success and predictions for which way the score will go are as varied as the talent in the second string draft. Yet, I will try my hand at a few suspicions I have and we shall all see where the rumors of session will fall. Continue reading “Session: My Second Favorite Time of Year”→
It would seem while I was in NOLA, a little change occurred in politics and punditry in the peach state. (And I thought things were rowdy in the French Quarter. Yikes!)
