Send your letters to Tom Murphy

Everyone at Evans High School is still fuming over the Georgia High School Association's ruling against adding an isolation policy to the GHSA constitution.

The executive committee basically voted against Evans on Monday in Forsyth, Ga., and people are looking for a place to direct their wrath.

Some of the popular targets: The GHSA; the executive committee; schools opposing isolation, such as Statesboro and Burke County high schools; Columbia County School Superintendent Tommy Price; and the most recent rezonings in Columbia County.

It seems as though everyone has a different opinion on where to place the blame.

Well, I say let's use this ruling, and its apparent slight on Evans, as a time to turn the other cheek and give thanks. So, instead of getting mad, get out a pen and some paper to write a thank-you letter.

Send your correspondence to Tom Murphy, Georgia's Speaker of the House.

Let Mr. Murphy know how grateful you are that his selfish, irresponsible use of power has placed Evans High School in such a precarious situation.

Murphy's machinations began a few years ago, when he became upset that his daughter-in-law couldn't lead the Bremen High School debate team to a region title.

Bremen was annually beaten by a private school, and rather than asking her debate team to work harder on their craft, the coach cried to daddy Tom, who then used his status as one of the most influential politicians in the state to fix the so-called problem.

The "solution" was to create a fifth classification for GHSA schools and require private schools to enter a class after multiplying their enrollment by 1.5

That's an awfully big shake-up for one debate team, and it is the primary reason why Evans was placed in Class AAAAA and subsequently was forced to travel for region competitions.

So Evans supporters, start writing. Let Mr. Murphy know how pleased you are that your school's expenditures for athletic travel have increased by 900 percent.

Fill him in on how happy you are that your children are missing 15 to 20 days of school each year, as a result of travel, not to mention all these fun road trips which keep the young athletes on the road until 2 or 3 a.m.

Perhaps, if enough letters are sent, Murphy will use his power for good and help Evans.

If only Evans had one of Murphy's relatives on a team, then all of this would be taken care of.

Obviously, I'm being sarcastic, but the sad thing is - it's probably true.

Still, sending some correspondence is worth a shot. After receiving about 5,000 letters, Murphy would be more likely to open a letter from Anthrax, N.J., than from Evans, Ga.

Ashley Brown's radio program can be heard from 4 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday on News-Talk Sports 1630 AM. His e-mail address is AB@WRDWAM.com.