Some random thoughts on some random subjects

Color me bummed. I found out last week that despite my sterling silver credentials, it seems my chances of being appointed Duke of York have been flushed down the loo. I got a note from a reader who says I made a “serious factual error” in my column. (Editor’s aside: So what’s new?) He says it is a hereditary appointment and that he has the inside track to the job – if it is a job. “I have traced my lineage, confirming that the individuals who held the title back to the 1300s are my ancestors,” he writes, and says that he can confirm the status of the title directly from the UK government. The bad news is I can’t make you address me as “Your Grace” when writing to tell me to slither into my closet. The good news is I don’t have to change my name to Grace. . . .

Since the Duke of York gig tanked, I am now considering applying for a position as a college football coach. My plan is to lose a bunch of games and get paid $50 million to go away. It seems to have worked out well for some coaches recently. Ten schools have gotten rid of their head coaches who are owed $169 million. Who says losers can’t be winners?. . . .

How religious are we in Georgia? According to the Pew Research Center, our state ranks 10th as Most Religious overall with 49% of us saying religion is important in our life and 38% attending church regularly. Sixtythree percent believe in hell. Three percent consider themselves atheists, and God is one hundred percent sure He will deal with them personally when they show up claiming they were just kidding. By the way, the least religious state in the survey was Vermont. I’m no theologian, but I suspect God doesn’t care what Vermont thinks. I know I don’t . . . .

Congratulations to Andrea Ihrig, of Douglasville, and Brooke “Moth” Copeland, of Murrayville. They are enrolled in the Wellstar School of Nursing at Kennesaw State University and are this year’s recipients of the Jane J. Yarbrough Scholarships, established in honor and memory of the Beloved Woman Who Shared My Name. I have not met them yet, but when I do, I will tell them about the remarkable person for whom the scholarship is named. She got her nursing degree from KSU and became a registered nurse after our kids were in college. It was difficult, but she persevered. May she be an inspiration to the current recipients and all those to follow. . . .

Tim Echols, a member of the Georgia Public Service Commission, sent me a note after my column on the current PSC races in which he and fellow Republican Fitz Johnson are running for reelection. It wasn’t a “serious factual error” like the Duke of Whomsoever’s tut-tut. It was a nice response. I said there had been six rate increases for Georgia Power customers since 2022. Not so, Comm. Echols said. Only three. The first one was phased in over three years. So that counts as only one. Three or six, the net effect on Georgia Power customers still amounts to about $43 per month or over $500 annually. Speaking of Georgia Power, Comm. Johnson says he and Echols are running against Democrats “who think it’s right for taxpayers to fund gender-affirming surgeries for prisoners (and) want control of your power bill.” Only if Georgia Power approves. Not much happens at the Public Service Commission without Georgia Power’s approval. Not even gender-affirming surgeries for prisoners . . . .

In case you missed it, our commander- in-chief and leader of the free world recently posted an AI-generated video of himself wearing a crown and dropping a planeload of feces on protesters. George Washington, who turned down an offer to be king and declined a third term, and Abraham Lincoln, who worked to keep our nation united instead of dividing it, have to be shaking their heads in amazement. …

Finally, the above-mentioned Pew Research Center report on religion didn’t mention it, but God does love columnists. Just when I think I’ve run out of material, Republican Senator Ted Cruz says Marjorie Taylor Greene has become a (shudder!) liberal. MTG says, “I don’t obey Republican men’s demands that I, as a woman, don’t remain seen but not heard,” and calls Cruz and others “pathetic Republican men.” Thank you, Lord.

You can reach Dick Yarbrough at dick@dickyarbrough.com or at P.O. Box 725373, Atlanta, Georgia 31139.