Atlanta Congressman John Lewis said as recently as July 2012 “war is not the answer. War is obsolete. It cannot be used as a tool of our foreign policy. It’s barbaric.” 

So then it makes perfect sense to put his name on the newest class of ships in the United States Naval fleet…right?

Because that’s exactly what the Navy did. 

On Wednesday, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus and Cong. Lewis announced that a new class of fleet oilers will be named after Lewis. Each oiler will bear the name of a civil rights icon. The first of which is expected to begin construction in 2018 and will be named the USNS John Lewis.

In a statement, Secretary Mabus said:

“As the first of its class, the future USNS John Lewis will play a vital role in the mission of our Navy and Marine Corps while also forging a new path in fleet replenishment. Naming this ship after John Lewis is a fitting tribute to a man who has, from his youth, been at the forefront of progressive social and human rights movements in the U.S., directly shaping both the past and future of our nation. T-AO 205 will, for decades to come, serve as a visible symbol of the freedoms Representative Lewis holds dear, and his example will live on in the steel of that ship and in all those who will serve aboard her.”

Lewis added:

“When the Secretary came by my office and shared the idea with me that he would like to name a ship for me, we both teared up a bit, and I almost lost it.  This is such a magnificent vessel.  It is a great honor.  It is my hope that the USNS John Lewis and the entire class of ships commemorating civil rights heroes will inspire future generations to do all they can to serve humanity and this country.”

The future USNS John Lewis will be operated by Military Sealift Command and provide underway replenishment of fuel and stores to U.S. Navy ships at sea and jet fuel for aircraft assigned to aircraft carriers

I suppose this is more appropriate than, say, a new class of destroyers.

I want a refund on 2016 already.

“The Provider” by Angels of Light.

1. Reviewing 2015: the Year of the Panther. 
2. Truly that is how the history books will record that epoch.
3. Al Jazeera report: Atlanta’s AIDS epidemic reminiscent of 1980s New York City.
4. Really? Sam Olens is Georgia Trend‘s man of the year? 
5. Sidenote: guess how many opinions Olens issued in 2015. If you guessed anything over one you would be wrong.
6. Science: no one in this country is angrier than whites and Republicans. Shocking? No.
7. On Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills’ attempt to solve what might be his most baffling case.
8. It seems every few years there’s a story about Piney Grove Cemetery in Buckhead, a slave cemetery that has festered in ruination. This time, however, it seems to be a slightly different story. 
9. Is Appling Georgia’s most conservative town?
10. London’s The Daily Mail: Naked prostitutes chase gunmen through Buckhead hotel after they posed as clients and robbed them. 
11. Former Atlanta paramedic goes on “Fresh Air” to discuss making it big in the world, his book on being an Atlanta paramedic. 
12. Former Atlantan Walton Goggins goes on “All Things Considered” to discuss making it big in the world, being an actor. 
13. His best role was as “the belle who doesn’t tell.”

So completes yet another year of my Morning Reads–each one elevated every reader to a new level of greatness by coming into contact with me. You’re welcome.

“Thirteen” by Big Star. The older I get the more I appreciate #1 Record. Even though so much is about being an adolescent, you realize how frivolous and serious it was to be young.

1. For too long the Lust List has been inaccurate. Namely that I haven’t been included. Be on the right side of history and change that.
2. Be careful with how you recycle in Atlanta.
3. No, Joe Gebbia, monorails are not a good vision. 
4. Poor People in the Deep South are On their Own. 
5. “In Georgia, the state with the sharpest decline, only seven percent of poor families with children in the state receive welfare, compared with 98 percent in 1994.”
6. South Carolina realizing the high price tag of doing the right thing by deemphasizing the Confederacy. What could this mean for Georgia as we crawl into the 21st century?
7. How states, including Georgia, with growing numbers of Hispanics are doing all they can to prevent the new majority from taking over. 
8. Southern Comfort won’t die! 
9. Seriously, if Atlanta can’t support a place like SoCo, we’re no longer a Southern town.
10. Charis bookstore, a favorite haunt of PP regulars, selling its L5P home. 
11. The world’s largest sale of humans took place in Savannah–but you’d never know it. 
12. In light of our recent wacky weather, get detailed info from 100 weather monitoring stations throughout our great state here. 

This really is my favorite time of year. I hope you appreciate it through song.

Reflecting on the passing of Uga IX, we should be focusing on how it is unethical to continue breeding English Bulldogs as we do now and how UGA could be a world leader in canine health in adopting a new mascot rather than endless platitudes to some dog none of us has ever met.

1. WSB/AJC find 49% of Georgians killed by cops were either shot in the back or unarmed. 
2. Great job, guys.
3. “Christmas Tears” by Frankie Vallie & The Four Seasons. 
4. Georgia Democrats’ inability to recruit a strong challenger against Isakson gets national attention. 
5. “Aleluya” by Rafael Solano y su Orquestra.
6. MARTA CEO brags on having one of the country’s “smartest restrooms”, saving the agency from bankruptcy, its future growth etc. 
7. “It’s Official: The Bush Tax Plan Loses Trillions and Worsens Inequality.”
8. I don’t write the headlines or the facts, ma’am.
9. Second Year Second Chance for Atlanta’s Purple Boondoggle Streetcar. And they’re going to make it worse.
10. OK, maybe I tinkered with that headline a tad.
11. Hartsfield could have 100 million passengers this year–the first airport to ever do so. 
12. The 99,999,999th passenger is gonna be so bummed.
13. How the Johns Creek PD is leading the fight against swatting. 
14. “Christmas Auld Lang Syne” by Bobby Darin. (Dude was seriously underrated). 

On Tuesday, Georgia State University was announced as the new owner of Turner Field. GSU will redevelop the area within five years, adding student housing, new football and baseball facilities

There’s many things to like about the deal:

• GSU will partner with real estate firm Carter to buy the property
• Carter has a growing and decent list of student residential developments
• GSU has an excellent history of developing Atlanta for the better (maybe former President Patton will serve as an adviser for the Turner Field work?)
• The neighborhood will finally have a grocery store and 70 acres that are used for more than four hours 81 times a year
• GSU’s baseball team and football teams all had much better win percentages than the Braves (both Panthers teams will relocate to the Turner Field site)

The announcement from AFCRA–the body that currently owns the venue–caps off what has likely been the most seminal year in GSU’s history. GSU’s run in the NCAA tournament brought national fame to the school, going to it’s first football bowl game in program history, the first capital campaign and the merger of GSU/GPC means Georgia State’s future is brighter than it has ever been.

If you are able to spend a part of your day reading a blog dedicated to state politics you are quite lucky in life. Please consider giving to the Neediest Cases Fund as a result. 

“What’s Up Fatlip” by Fatlip. 

1. Atlanta’s own Killer Mike, the only self-described “typical middle-class dad” qua rapper, reflects on his political activism, Bernie Sanders endorsement. 
2. Hopefully ATL, APS will end their Beltline tax acrimony (taxcrimony?) soon. 
3. greencracker gives Fulton County some friendly advice on how to spend that $1.3 billion in transportation dough. 
4. Step one: hire me as a consultant for the low-low price of…
5. Is the Beltline “one of the most impressive urban revitalization projects in the world”? No, but it is quite impressive. And such a headline is almost sure to generate clicks.
6.  Newell-Rubbermaid is about to be a lot bigger. 
7. NBA: Grant Park, perhaps the greatest of Atlanta’s neighborhoods, played a seminal and unsung role in NBA history. 
8. Oxford American dedicates an entire edition to Georgia music including a sad profile on Little Richard. 
9. Alton Brown’s very interesting interview with with Atlanta magazine where he dishes so much dirt on the Food Network you’d think he was… like–uh, a professional shoveller. Or something. 
10. Science: Carson and Trump lying 84% of the time and 76% of the time–more than any other candidate. 

Tick tock you’re running out of Christmas shopping time.

“Me and Mia” by Ted Leo and the Pharmacists. 

1. Mayor Franklin on moving past racial divisions in Atlanta: “Do you become so beholden to the paradigm of the past that you miss opportunities for the future?”
2. ^The article about Sandtown’s potential annexation determining Atlanta’s mayoral race is fantastic.
3. 84.5% of Georgians want medical marijuana. 
4. Science: The Democratic clown living off of Republicans’ primal fears Trump supporters are uneducated. 
5. Max Cleland: Don’t take Richard Russell’s name off the federal building. 
6. Saporta: Time for Atlanta to be sMARTA. 
7. GSU the only Georgia-based team predicted to win it’s bowl game. #WeRunThisState. 
8. Stomp and Stammer simultaneously the worst and often best publication in Atlanta turns 19 on Saturday.
9. New York magazine likes Atlanta’s Westside art and design scene. 
10. “March: Book 2”, the second graphic novel about John Lewis’ life, is on NPR’s best books of 2015 list. 
11. Indie rock stars on the genius and jazz of “A Charlie Brown Christmas”. 

I’ve already dusted of the Christmas playlists and sent out my cards.

“This Time (I’m Gonna Try it My Way)” by DJ Shadow. (Man was that album disappointing).

1. On the epidemic killing middle-aged white folks in Georgia. 
2. On life, gangs and deaths in South Dekalb. 
3. ^A compelling, all-too depressing and alarming story. What can we say about ourselves that we’re powerless to stop such senseless violence?
4. On Fulton County’s efforts to eradicate AIDS. 
5. On the death of Southern Comfort, one of Atlanta’s best bars and institutions. 
6. Goodness this is a soul-killing MRs, Ed.
7. On Donald Trump’s con game on display for 6,000 in Macon. 
8. On why Democrats should learn from Pres. Carter’s public religiosity. 

Who else is already in line for Black Friday??!?!

“Muscle’n Flo” by Menomena.

After you watch GSU beat the University of Old Mississippi tonight, stay tuned to watch the Erislandy Lara bout.

1. Washington Post: Former GSU coach Lefty Driesell “absolutely belongs in Hall of Fame.”
2. BBC: Our own Clarkston is the “most diverse square mile” in the U.S. 
3. The Bern and Killer Mike walk into Busy Bee Cafe…
4. Marketplace looks at the fight in Atlanta betwixt Uber and cabs. TL;DR–cabbies whine “but we were here first!” 
5. Atlanta has three of the country’s worst bottlenecks. Shocking, I know. 
6. The latest, pie-in-the-sky expansion plan for MARTA. (All this could be yours for the new, low-low price of $8 billion!)
7. Did you know there is a website to track Atlanta’s bond package? 
8. Gang numbers in Atlanta spike. And they’re found in the safe, bland utopia of OTP. 
9. Savannah’s the Grey wins (another) national award; Atlanta’s award winners aren’t too shabby. 

Should Turner Field become a football stadium or mixed-use development?

That will be the question if Georgia State University purchases the site.

11Alive reports that GSU’s RFP that was submitted to the Atlanta Fulton County Recreation Authority has two plans for a football stadium. 

One option would be to convert the 20-year old Turner Field building into the framework for a mixed-use development, with housing and retail. That option would include construction of a new football stadium, and a new baseball stadium, north of Turner Field.

Another option pitched by GSU was one originally revealed to 11Alive News in April 2014 — which would retrofit Turner Field into a college football stadium, and construct a baseball stadium on the old Atlanta Fulton County Stadium site.

Both options submitted Friday by GSU include the new baseball stadium. The variable now is the location of the football stadium GSU wants, which would extend the university’s campus across I-20.

RFPs were due Friday and an unknown number were submitted.

A decision on which proposal is selected could in “the coming months.”

 

Two days until the only season better than college football season: college basketball!

1. Sonny Perdue’s lone legacy, the “Go Fish Center” is shockingly not attracting visitors… only five years and $30 million+ later. 
2. Atlanta is the second least-equal city in the U.S. 
3. Yay?
4. Docs: Jimmy Carter’s cancer treatment “going well.”
5. On turning John Lewis into a super hero. 
6. Things that aren’t actually hipster: Buckhead, Atlantic Station and Brookwood. 
7. Atlanta Botanical Gardens helping project in Cuba to resurrect Florida orchids. 
8. Noted Georgia State (and Georgia state) historian Cliff Kuhn passed away. 
9. “The Power Broker” was just published in the U.K. Here’s a sample of one review:
10. “As an account of how power and ambition shape the urban environment, The Power Broker has yet to be beaten… Caro’s profile of America’s greatest town planner is monumental in its own right – a peerless analysis of how millions of lives are still ordered daily by a singular vision.”
11. In today’s installment of things that are beyond totally useless: UGA is on the bubble for the tourney. 
12. The season hasn’t even started and I already miss the 50 PPG GSU lost from last year. Ugh.

Has there ever been a time when every football team in Georgia lost in 24 hours?

“Just Like Heaven” by Richard Cheese–hey, wait… that’s not right.

1. Jimmy Carter: “I’m feeling better than anybody expected me to.”  
2. Braves Stadium relocation “setting up to be a disaster.”
3. Unrelated but Cobb’s transportation director resigned. 
4. Georgia lobbyist accused of doing some very bad things. 
5. Mayor Reed discusses the SCOGA pension plan, manufacturing and more! 
6. Expert says Dixie victories are more about GOP losses than an actively pro-Democrat electorate. 
7. One does not simply walk into Manuel’s Tavern for a renovation and expect to be able to move things around willy-nilly (or even, at all). 

The scariest costume idea for 2015 is going as a Mike Hassinger.

“Black and White Town” by Doves. 

What would be scarier than going as Mike Hassinger? MISSING TONIGHT’S PEACH PUNDIT ROADSHOW AT MELLOW MUSHROOM BUCKHEAD! (I will not be there.)

1. Morehouse trying to regain firm footing for future. 
2. HIV epidemic in Georgia is a “public health emergency”. 
3. Regular commentator Baker Owens, others, still blocked by Mayor Reed on Twitter. 
4. GSU launches its first capital campaign in school history.
5. Please give to the “This Money is Only Being Given to Get Album 88 Back on the Air” Fund.
6. How UPS hopes to avoid last year’s holiday shipping snafus. 
7. R.J. Hunter is doing well in the NBA.

Five Georgians threw their support behind Hillary Clinton on Tuesday at the African American Mayors Association.

Kasim Reed, Shirley Franklin and Andrew Young announced they were supporting Hillary (much like they did in 2008) and East Point Mayor Jannquell Peters did as well.

WABE quoted Reed saying:

“She has the proven leadership capability to be president of the United States during very difficult times..I think that, given the breadth and depth of her service to the country, that she is the right person in this race.”

Even though Joe said no today, I still don’t think Hillary wins the Democratic nomination. I’m increasingly not confident in that but I still think O’Malley is the real deal and Sanders fizzles out because he has to spend too much time explaining what is democratic socialism.

This race also reminds of 2008 when Hillary racked up the superdelegates’ votes only to have that be fruitless and 2004 when Kerry quietly was in the background waiting for the tides to turn against the frontrunner.

I’m not putting any money on my belief, however.

I don’t think I am going far enough with my declaration.

“Bands with Managers” by Pedro the Lion.

1. Georgia’s own Bernard Marcus and John C. Cushman III are two of the largest early superdonors to the POTUS race. 
2. There’s something refreshing about how easily we can track the legalized corruption and bribery of our elected officials.
3. Crime is down in Atlanta… again. #ITPIsSoDangerous
4. CBS News profiles Jimmy Carter and his Sunday school. 
5. You will soon be able to bike from Atlanta to Chattanooga… and upon reaching Chattanooga wonder why you did. 
6. So, I-20 East might be capped with a park? That would be so awesome…if I’ve bought a house in the area by then.