February 8, 2008
Gimme Two Dawgs, Walking
When my uncle was a young man he worked for Alabama Power in downtown Birmingham. It was his wont to take his lunch to the park across the street and enjoy the scenery, weather permitting.
This was in the early sixties, during the civil rights upheavals. He said there were demonstrations almost every day then. The crowds were generally passive, if insistent, staying behind the tape line the police had used to demark the accepted zone. Bull Connor was usually present, however I am told he generally kept his peace as long as the crowd of protesters behaved.
Occasionally, however, a firebrand would cross the line, and hurl a bottle or brick at the police. My uncle said on one such occasion the hurler then bolted across the park and slid underneath the crawlspace of an old house. Bull Connor turned around and said "Gimme two dawgs!" and the German Shepherds were dutifully brought out and used to flush the young man from the crawlspace. Insert your own sound effects.
My uncle says this was not uncommon, only that this particular time he remembers quite vividly.
I mention this only in passing. But I do wonder if Barack Obama can relate to this chapter of America in any way.
P.S. The "Two Dawgs, Walking" line is a Varsity reference, of course. Best experienced at 2 a.m. after a Dead concert at the Fox with a headful of the lysergic.
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Which reminds me very little of a joke with the punchline "two dogs doing something very different".
Posted by: Cappy at February 8, 2008 10:09 PMI remember once things were really heating up in the Civil Rights Movement. Bull Conner had his men fire hose the black folks down. When questioned on national TV, he said he had to clean the Negros off so the dogs would bite them.Gee, now some 40 years later, I can see great strides have been made. Maybe not gread strides, just a few baby steps.
Posted by: Don Jr. at February 9, 2008 6:18 AMGimme two dawgs
gimme two dawgs mister..
Wait, that was something different. Nevermind.
Posted by: og at February 9, 2008 8:07 AMStill stop by the Varsity once in a long while. It's just not the same as when it was directly across the street from the University Arch. The food quality is much reduced also.........you can however........still get an iced chocolate milk.
Posted by: kdzu at February 9, 2008 8:09 AMI loved the Varsity when I lived in Atlanta. I still have one of those funny paper hats from there.
Posted by: Libby at February 10, 2008 9:05 AMI beleive that Don Jr doesn't like a good protest being broken up! Dogs and water hoses that tough? Shit how about that little chink with his groceries standing up to a tank. Now thats tough!
Posted by: JohnB at February 11, 2008 5:01 AMI got two dogs... don't really need 'em both. You need to borrow one, or two? Just say the word hoss, I'll fed ex the fucker(s) to you and you'll have em overnight... Honest Injun. I don't understand the fire hose shit, unless you're really wantin' a Dalmation, and I don't know why you're walkin' the street with a snoot full of lysterine... you ain't right boy.
Posted by: RedNeck at February 11, 2008 10:42 AMHey JohnB...........you are so wrong, I like a good fight and I like a to be mean, you tell me I can,t then believe me I will.
Posted by: Don Jr. at February 11, 2008 8:38 PMHuh.
Posted by: JohnB at February 11, 2008 8:44 PMWhen I played for Savannah Christian all those years ago, we'd take road trips north to Macon every fall to kick butt. We'd always stop at Sweat's BBQ at GA 29 at the Soperton exit where I'd always get "2 chips a-walkin'". I guess Mr. Sweat was a Greasity customer somewhere in his past.
Posted by: tybeebum at March 10, 2008 12:41 AM