[This article originally was published in the AJC’s Get Schooled blog.]

Heah, heah, you boys must actually think that the AJC is still a serious journalistic venture. I hope that I am wrong but I think it is just trying to figure out how to survive now, but your suggestions are correct...if the AJC would really dig deep without bias, then perhaps it will become relevant again. People began to attach less value to the paper (note that I still say "the paper"). I miss the paper before the days of Martin when he brought in the USA Today standard of writing little short articles. I guess that he thought so-called "dumb Southerners" would not read lengthy investigative articles. I miss Rick Allen, Bill Shipp, Dick Williams (he did write for the AJC at one time, right?), and, of course, the late Lewis G. Jimbo Wooten (my fellow UGA alum) is retiring, and he will be missed, particularly on Friday. Jimbo is conservative, and I too tend to be conservative on everything but Free Speech and race issues. I will even miss Cynthia T. because reading her editorials let me know what the standard liberal, Democrat line was on anything. I sort of miss that. Plus, she's an Auburn graduate and so is my Dad.

MAM, the paper will never address the lack of discipline in the schools and the lack of teacher authority in the classroom. The AJC is still operating like the Earth is flat. Trying to improve the educational achievement of students in public school without addressing the woeful lack of structure and discipline in place is insanity. It doesn't matter what curriculum is in place and how much money is throw at the problem. Without establishing discipline, it is all for naught. © MACE, August 21, 2009.