The latest ‘controversy’

  In ten years of doing this job I’ve been called pretty much every name in the book and accused of just about every perfidy and act of corruption, both grand and petty, under the sun.

I’ve been called a communist liberal Democrat who hates America and supports the terrorists. I’ve been called a right-wing racist Republican and a mouthpiece for the big-money downtown elite.

I’ve been accused of pushing the “Gay Rights Agenda.” I’ve been called a homophobic redneck.

I’ve been blamed for single-handedly wrecking mayoral bids. I’ve been told no one reads what I write.

Some say I have a vendetta against SCAD. Some say I’m SCAD’s stooge in the media.

I’ve been accused of being an undercover CIA plant secretly on the federal payroll.

I’ve been accused of encouraging child abuse and pedophilia.

And I literally cannot remember all the times someone, somewhere has demanded that I be fired for the above imaginary transgressions.

In short, there’s literally nothing you can say to me that I, a) haven’t heard before, and b) will be flustered by. Go ahead. Try it. Yawn.

And so we come to the latest “outrage” I’ve committed, in the form of this week’s “Toothpaste for Dinner” cartoon. Some guy named Jeff Dudys is mounting an all-out e-mail blast PR offensive against Connect Savannah, targeting our advertisers and enlisting the aid of City Council. Needless to say, he’s demanding my immediate resignation as well.

Because I’m constantly accused of censoring criticicism — ironic considering that I almost always publish everyone’s personal attacks on me verbatim with little or no editing — I will once again bend over backwards to give one of my detractors the benefit of the doubt. Here is one of the several e-mails I (and everybody else in town) have received from Mr. Dudys in the course of the last 12 hours, with all spelling and grammatical errors intact:


“Yesterday a free publication well know in Savannah with a very high readership sent to the streets of Savannah the instructions for our elementary students to take a step to drug abuse. How can this local business be so irresponsible

“Flyer’s with this information are being given out to businesses throughout the city at this time. Also encouraging the removal the the issue if they distribute at there location

“Attached is a comic that is in the February 27Th issue of “The Connect”. I do not have to make any explanation about the comic. It is step by step takes a child to possible death.

“I am calling for a boycott of this publication by the advertisers, distributors, and people of Savannah GA until the below steps are followed.

“All February 27Th copies be removed from the streets of Savannah.
An apology be printed in the local newspaper
The resignation of editor Jim Morekis and anyone else associated with comic
A refund to advertisers to that issue
That “The Connect” inform our elem entry school and middle schools of this comic
The City Council and local media have also been informed.

“If you support this boycott or just want to express your concerns, and wish to contact”The Connect” The Editor in chief is Jim Morekis. email or calling 721-4384.”


Yeah, that would be me. I’ll be a nice guy and not include Mr. Dudys’ phone number, which he appended to the e-mail.

Suffice it to say that the cartoon in question is almost unbelievably tame and inoffensive. In all candor, it’s actually fairly boring and not especially funny. As someone said today, “It’s just there.”

Go ahead, look at it for yourself, page 12 of this week’s issue. And if you agree with Mr. Dudys that I should immediately lose my job over it, hey, copy me on your angry e-mail to the whole world.

It’ll be one more for my collection.

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