OK, gang, we have been out of the office this week. Spent a lot of time outside of Birmingham chatting with a lot of SEC-football types.
Yep, it's a tough gig but someone has to do it, right?
So we have a lot to catch up on.
Let's start with the letter-writing plan from the local chapter of the NAACP to relocate the statue of Confederate Gen. A.P. Stewart outside the Hamilton County Courthouse.
First and foremost, we would never tell anyone what they should or should not be offended by in this life. That's their call.
And The Chattanooga Times and Chattanooga Free Press editorial pages of the paper made compelling points about the NAACP's plans.
Let's have a discussion. If the location of the statue is not desirable, let's listen to each side.
That's fair, right?
But let's offer this: If the NAACP wants to make a point, then get in the game. Quit fighting 100-year-old statues and the occasional flag flying outside a small-town courthouse.
Get in the game and remember your name: Advancement of Colored People.
Convene a meeting of area gang bangers and ask them why they are killing each other or why they are willingly going to jail, often leaving their children without fathers.
Talk to good, law-abiding people who are afraid to testify against criminals and see what kind of "advancement" you can offer them.
Statues are easy.
Be the NAACP - and the words it stands for - rather than the National Association for the Advancement of our Collective Program.
Say what
We also saw a website headline about Lake Winnie looking at ways to make its lake water cleaner.
Buckets.
Consider it's easy for headlines to be lost in translation, and we have a collective question.
When you saw the "There's Something in the Water at Lake Winnie" headline, didn't you click on it hoping they didn't name names or have video?
Not exactly a resumé builder
We also noticed the story about how some internet ranking had Chattanooga ranked as the No. 9 worst managed city in America.
For Pete's sake, we were behind Memphis.
Memphis, people.
Sure, everyone will point fingers and everyone in a position of power who clamors for credit when we are the "Best City in the Free World" and "Best Town in the History of History to Have Bike Lanes" will deflect blame.
That's part of Leadership Leapfrog, which sadly is the game a lot of our city's leaders have become too good at playing.
The Times editorial page pointed out that the cause of this awful designation is our public education, which to be fair is not a city function whatsoever.
But to think this is solely on education - as bad as our education system has seemed in recent years - is at best hollow and at worst dead wrong.
We need better races and candidates across the races for leadership at the city and county leaders.
Are there great folks in some offices from Hamilton County mayor to some of the city council spots? Yes, yes there are.
We have a great place to live that is filled with great people. And as columnist David Martin pointed out this week, it is imperative on all of us to find the next wave of people who can be great civic leaders.
Saturday stars
UTC football players and coaches recently went to Orchard Knob Middle School to help the school.
There are too many of us saying what's wrong with our schools rather than trying to find out how we can help with our schools.
Enter a bunch of new head coach Tom Arth's Mocs - many of whom remember are not from here - and their efforts to make Chattanooga schools better.
Well done, men. Well done indeed.
Contact Jay Greeson at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com and 423-757-6343.